Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Wild Connections Zoo Keeper


Wild Connections Zoo Keeper


We are Chessington World of Adventures Resort and we are part of the magical Merlin Entertainments!

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Zoo Keeper to join our “Wild Connections” team. As a member of the team you will be responsible for delivering highest standards in the daily care and husbandry of the animals across the section. These include; California sea lions, a wide range of birds, reptiles and small mammals. Daily duties include cleaning, diet preparation, record keeping and enclosure redesign/maintenance. Other duties will include planning, evaluating and executing environmental enrichment for the animals under your care and delivering first-class animal presentations, shows, meet and greets, commercial activities and memorable experiences to our Adventurers. You will be required to use positive reinforcement to train a wide variety of species for husbandry, guest interactions and presentations. To excel in this role you will need good initiative to come up with new ideas to help move the section forward and to increase revenue and minimise costs, whilst maintaining standards. 

As a member of the Wild Connections team you will be required to work alongside the wider zoo team as well as employees from all over the resort and mentor, coach and supervise work-experience students and interns. 

We are looking for the following skills and experience;
  • Minimum of 2 years paid and relevant experience within a zoo environment
  • Ideally has an animal based qualification 
  • Practical experience working with a wide range of species
  • Exceptional presentation skills 
  • The ability & passion to interact with the public
  • Enthusiasm to learn & develop in the role
  • Good level of understanding of animal behaviour and the care of animals 
  • Strong communication & computer skills
  • Efficient time management and organisational skills
  • Experience with training through the use of positive reinforcement is advantageous

This role is permanent working full time 40 hours; 5 days out of 7. Shifts include weekdays, weekends & bank holidays, evenings; flexibility is required to meet the needs of the business. 

Alongside a competitive annual salary up to £17,333 and 28 days holiday (including bank holidays) you can look forward to enjoying a great benefits package  including a Group Personal Pension Plan, Merlin Magic pass, Employee Assistance Programme, Life Assurance, 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants, 40% discount online off of LEGO, and much more!

To Apply or learn more please click HERE













photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Aquarium Staff



The National Aquarium, Abu Dhabi are now hiring our full team, ready for the big opening...
Senior Aquarists
Aquarists
Junior Aquarists
LSS Supervisors
LSS Technicians
Dive Operations Manager
Divers
Animal Trainer
Food prep technician
Veterinarian Technician
Follow the link and upload your CV to the desired position.
If you have any questions please contact lcocks@thenationalaquarium.ae








photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Qualified Animal Keeper - Birds



Qualified Animal Keeper - Birds


Overview

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity founded in 1826, is a world-renowned centre of excellence for conservation science and applied conservation. ZSL’s mission is to promote and achieve the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. This is realised by carrying out field conservation and research in over 50 countries across the globe and through education and awareness-raising at our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, inspiring people to take conservation action.

Role Profile

The Zoological Society of London is looking for a Qualified Keeper on the Bird Section based at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. The main purpose of the qualified keeper position is to manage day to day operational duties relating to animal husbandry and visitor interaction within the section. You will be responsible to the section Team Leader or other key senior animal department staff within the section. The off-exhibit bird breeding facilities at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo provides opportunities to work with many high-profile threatened species and contribute to captive breeding programmes for species such as wattle cranes and Javan green magpies. The successful candidate’s professional avicultural expertise will be developed to support this important ex-situ work as well as ZSL’s in-situ avian conservation programmes. The successful candidate will also be required to support the development of the planned expansion of on show bird exhibits at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • Observing the behaviour, health and security of animals and reporting any problems to the team leader or senior staff.
  • Ensuring that conditions for the birds are of the highest standards and reporting any problems, including defects or repairs required to enclosures, to the senior staff on section and relevant departments required.
  • Assisting with the preparation of approved diets and carrying out the correct feeding procedures.
  • Cleaning and maintaining exhibits and designing enrichment devices.
  • Ensuring that safety and emergency procedures are followed at all times.
  • Supporting in the training and mentoring of less experienced staff.
  • Maintaining courteous and helpful relations with visitors and media.
  • Supporting broader ZSL lead events such as late evenings and specialist functions.

Person Specification

  • Extensive previous experience of aviculture in a zoo or equivalent environment.
  • Knowledge and experience with incubation and hand rearing.
  • A qualification in zoo animal management such as the DMZAA or equivalent level of work experience.
  • Good communication skills, enthusiasm, and an outgoing and friendly personality.
  • A full/clean driving license is essential.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND TO APPLY PLEASE CLICK HERE







photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Two exciting sun bear volunteer positions in Indonesia.



Two exciting sun bear volunteer positions in Indonesia. 
If you are able to take between three to six months off and you have bear behaviour or hand-rearing experience and love the opportunity to experience life in Indonesia, this may be the right change for you. The position for hand-rearing a sun bear cub would be for six months (or more) from September onward. Please email Patrick Rouxel for more information (patrickrouxel@hotmail.com). Please email me for more information on the behavioural project with sun bears in Kalimantan and I will get you connected with the project there (approx. 3 months needed).
Thanks,







photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Volunteers Needed




Volunteers Needed: AAP (Animal Advocacy and Protection) Primadomus, Villena, Spain: AAP has two rescue centres, Stichting AAP is the main centre in Almere, Netherlands and their second in Spain.

Primadomus is a non-profit organisation that rescues mammals (mainly primates and big cats) from the illegal exotic pet trade, circuses and entertainment industry. They rehabilitate as many of the animals as they can and these are outplaced to reputable zoos and sanctuaries across Europe, those that can not be outplaced, due to severe behavioural problems or long term illnesses, have a home for life at the centre. Due to it being non-profit there is a very small core staff base and they rely on volunteers from around the world to help care for the animals. From September 2019 onwards there is a shortage of volunteers signed up to help. The volunteers have free accommodation provided as well as transfer to and from the centre and lunch allowance. Primadomus has animal welfare at their heart, they have very good husbandry protocols and training and enrichment programmes. Their core staff are from animal backgrounds - zoos, sanctuaries, rescue or trainin and their standards are very high.

They currently house Barbary and Pigtail Macaques, Chimpanzees, Common Marmosets, Talapoins, Lions, Tigers, Jaguar and Puma. Due to the amount of illegal exotic pets here, there are regular confiscations of smaller primates, meaning the quarantine section (as well as all the others) is always very busy. Many hands are needed. Below are the links to their websites:

https://www.aap.nl/en

https://www.aap.nl/en/primadomus-spain

Please feel free to contact for any more information, any help is greatly appreciated.







photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Husbandry and Enrichment Coordinator


Husbandry and Enrichment Coordinator

Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife

Vacancy for Husbandry and Enrichment Coordinator

The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife (LCTW) is currently seeking an interested individual to join us in Laos, as part of our Husbandry & Enrichment team.
The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife is a wildlife conservation, education and rescue centre which is a registered charity in both Laos and the UK, we are currently the only all-inclusive species rescue centre in Lao PDR. Our main mission is to conserve Laos’ extraordinary biodiversity, through many different programmes.

The LCTW is currently at an exciting stage of development. Here, the successful candidate will be involved in our programmes ranging from conservation initiatives, infrastructure and policy development, volunteer engagement, rescued wildlife rehabilitation and education programmes. This includes work with our local staff and volunteers, all of whom are working towards the overall development and growth of the LCTW site and the wider conservation of fauna in Laos.

Our site is a beacon and focal point of conservation efforts in Lao PDR.
We house around 500 animals, mostly native to South-east Asia of varying taxa, these include Large
Mammals, a variety of Primates, Ungulates, Reptiles, Birds and Small Mammals.
The LCTW is committed to conservation on both a regional and global scale, we are working alongside other wildlife organisations and the Lao government to aid in biodiversity conservation efforts.

For more information about our project, visit https://lctwildlife.org

The Role
The role of Husbandry and Enrichment Coordinator is a hands-on role, working in our centre with rescued wildlife. You will have an active role in rehabilitating rescued wildlife, this includes the daily husbandry and provision of enrichment to wildlife onsite. You will also be involved in other projects such as wildlife infrastructure development, construction and maintenance projects, as well as some administrative duties.
Planning and implementation of projects onsite is a large part of this role, initiative and creativity is
encouraged, to provide our wildlife with the best possible standard of care, you will be encouraged to
expand the scope of this role.
This role also includes the opportunity to train and guide our volunteers, who come on our Husbandry and Enrichment programme, as well as our Animal-based Studies programme. You will have the chance to educate and guide volunteers, who are crucial to the success of our project.

The candidate will become a valued member of the team which is pushing forward the ongoing
development of the infrastructure inherited from the Lao Zoo, whilst bringing/keeping all aspects of
husbandry and enrichment to best practice standards.
The admin duties for the volunteer programme are also part of this role, including managing bookings, corresponding with prospective volunteers and partners.
The role will evolve and grow as the successful candidate develops with it, initiative and self-motivation is very much encouraged.
Overall, this role will suit a candidate with a varied range of expertise with wildlife husbandry and
enrichment, someone who enjoys providing wildlife education to others whilst training and leading small teams, someone who is engaged with the challenges currently facing wildlife and ultimately someone looking for a challenge to use their initiative and put their ideas into practice.

Essential
 Previous experience of wildlife husbandry in a captive setting
 Experience of leading and working with volunteers and guests in a wildlife setting
 Some construction skills
 An in depth understanding of enrichment
 Computer literacy with a good understanding of Microsoft programmes
 Excellent communication and reporting skills
 Full driving license from your native country
 Fluency in written and spoken English
 Experience in an educational setting, such as public talks and tours
 A high level of understanding of working safely and leading others to work safely with wildlife
 Willing to commit to at least 1 year to this role, after a 3-month probationary period
 Creative individual
 The ability to be both self-motivated and a team player
 Willing and able to work in challenging conditions and be culturally sensitive

Desirable
 Experience working with South-east Asian wildlife
 Experience of living rurally with a small amount of amenities
 Knowledge and previous usage of ZIMS or a similar online records system (ARKS, SPARKS, MedARKS)
 An understanding of fundraising in the non-profit wildlife sector
 Some Lao and/or Thai language skills
 PR skills

Onsite accommodation, with 2 cooked meals per day and breakfast supplies will be provided with the role.
This role offers 1 day off per week, a competitive regional salary with paid holidays, plus Lao national holidays. The LCTW will provide the successful candidate with a 1 year rolling business visa, all business travel expenses and a Lao driving license, after a 3-month probationary period.
Our base centre is located in Ban Keun, around a 1 hour drive north of Vientiane, the capital of Lao PDR.
We are fairly rural, however our local town has various basic amenities such as pharmacies, markets and ATMs.

We are looking to fill this position as soon as possible, shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a Skype interview, as soon as their application has been reviewed.
Does this sound like your dream job? If you would like to help us conserve and rescue wildlife in Laos,
Please send your CV along with a covering letter to info@lctwildlife.org
Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted.







photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant